Investigators are determining whether files deleted from the flight simulator of MH370’s pilot could hold clues to the whereabouts of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet.

Malaysia’s defence minister said attempts were being made to restore the deleted files to Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah’s home flight simulator in the hope it will shed some light on the plane’s disappearance.

At a press conference Hishammuddin Hussein said Mr Shah is still considered innocent until proven guilty and that his family is cooperating fully with the investigation.

The files were deleted on February 3 and contain records of earlier flight simulations carried out on the progamme, according to Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu. Authorities want to check the files for signs of any unusual flight paths which could help explain where the missing plane went.

The passenger jet vanished with 239 people on board during an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur and Beijing on March 8.

Zaharie Ahmad Shah, seen in a newspaper frontpage, was piloting flight MH370 when it disappeared (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Evidence so far suggests the plane was deliberately steered off course with it communication systems disabled, according to the Malaysian authorities.

The last ‘ping’ signal from the aircraft was detected by a satellite in an area near a US naval base on Diego Garcia and Maldives.

Police are considering the possibility of hijacking, sabotage, terrorism or issues related to the mental health of the pilots or anyone else on board, and have asked for background checks from abroad on all foreign passengers.